Saturday, 29 September 2007

I Want to Live to Ninety Nine, Good old Ninety Nine, Wouldn't it be Fine

The number of Britons reaching the age of 100 will hit a record 9,000 today and is expected to reach 40,000 by 2031

Jeanne Calment died aged 122, the world's oldest personA boom in life expectancy shows the number of centenarians has increased 90-fold since 1911 and many young children are now expected to live to 100 or beyond. People are now reaching old age in much better health and have a far better standard of living than previous generations. The longest life on record is that of a French woman who died in 1997 at 122.Today's figures on population in England and Wales disclosed a picture of a fast ageing population.The rapid increase in the number of very elderly people began in the 1950s and is attributed to improvements in housing, health care, nutrition and sanitation.Life expectancy for British women has risen from only 50 a century ago to 81 now. And by 2080 it will rise to 100. For men, life expectancy is 76. Life expectancy increases at around two years per decade, but we don't know what will happen in the future. It was thought after 1980 it would slow down and stop. But people are reaching old age in better shape and we have made great strides in understanding the nature of the ageing process."I would predict the rate of increase will slow. Great advances have been because of huge improvements in people's living experience - housing, heating, less exposure to infection."But obesity coupled with smoking and a lack of exercise could impact on the number of centenarians in the future."

"We used to talk about ageing being a problem, then a challenge, but now we realise it is an opportunity."A mature society is a more confident society, a society that is more experienced and more stable."But pension companies have repeatedly warned that pension ages will have to rise. It is not possible to generate enough wealth by working from 25 to 55 to enable people to live well until they are 95. Too many pensioners live below the poverty line.The soaring population of centenarians is also likely to place a greater burden on the health services.There used to be proportionately more female to male centenarians - seven women for every man.However this ratio is now beginning to fall as survival to this age becomes more common.

A few Questions I would like to ask.

1. How much longer do you hope (expect) to live?

2. How will you afford these extra years of retirement/

3. Should insolvent aged persons be painlessly put down on reaching retirement?

By IE Saturday September 29, 07:37 PM The Indo-US civil nuclear deal would give India the flexibility to buy nuclear fuel not only from the US, but also from countries like France, Russia or even Australia.

Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal said the bilateral agreement, also called '123 Agreement', would not make it binding on India to buy nuclear fuel from just the US.

He said that to support India's economic growth and development in the coming decades, the 123 Agreement was necessary. It would help the country in overcoming an energy crisis, since there would be huge gap between demand and supply.

"The 123 Agreement is fuel for India's growth," Sibal told an interactive meeting organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Sibal said the agreement would also give India, unlike other countries like China, the right to reprocess spent fuel needed for augmenting nuclear power generating capacity.

He said that India had not bartered anything and the deal would not undermine the country's sovereignty.

I believe it's more about the genetic make-up of your family. How one/both your parents went, is likely to be your lot in turn. A few years extra life expectancy won't make too much difference to the end result. That also ignores any nasty world pandemic like bird flu or other.Quality, rather than quantity is best if you are fortunate enough to have, maintain and keep good health.No to euthenasia ... too many wicked types would give in to the temptation of finishing off their elderly rellies, esp wealthy ones!

The Laws Of Power Never Outshine the Master. Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity.

Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies. Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

Conceal your Intentions. Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.

Always Say Less than Necessary. When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life. Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

Court Attention at all Cost. Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.

Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit. Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.

Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary. When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.

Win through your Actions, Never through Argument. Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky. You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.

About Me

Ardent family orientated bloke,love my family lots.
Love Australia my Beautiful adopted country, but remember passionately my home village, Chalgrove in Oxfordshire, England. My favourite friends would include several shipmates I am in close contact with who served with me while in the British Royal Navy ..going back a fair bit.
There is also the silence of my age, too full of wisdom for the tongue to utter it - in words intelligible to those who have not lived-the great range of my life.
Vest.GSM, LSGCM, WM, B/PM, ITM, UNM, K-N M, EOW M, Asia- PAC M. ROYAL NAVY 25yrs, Retired.